Lake Moondarra - Mt Isa

[TinarooTriumph]

G'day fella's.

Mate of mine and I are interested in fishing Lake Moondarra and maybe even Lake Julius for these outback Barra within the next year. My mate use to live in Mt Isa for quite some time, but moved here to the Tablelands. He use to help out with the stocking of the Barra fingerlings there, and fished the place on numerous occasions and caught quite a few Sooties, but no Barra.

As i've not yet been to Moondarra, id thought id ask a few questions. I have heard that the dam is relatively flat, is this true?. What is the place like in the way of structure?. Any key notes I should know about?. I havnt seen any reports on any dam's out west here on AusFish, but from what I've heard it's producing some nice fish.

[Graham_N_Roberts]

Hi Tinaroo,

My son in law and daughter lived out there for a few years, before moving to Blackwater. As a result of several visits, I got to like the lake, although I never got to hook a big silver lady. There are plenty of big gar, sleepy cod, sooties and archers, along with catties of course.

Even a few resident snappy toms to keep you amused, by coming in to within around twenty metres, float around checking you out then drift off some where else to do the things they do.

Nice calm lake, plenty of tree structure in the tributaries, and rock structure in the main body. Even if you don't catch a lot, it's still a relaxing day out.

Cheers

[TinarooTriumph]

Cheers Freshie!. Big gar eh?. Sounds like good food for some big silver horses to me!. I know that theres plenty of Catties out there - My mates got pic's of when he got attacked by 3 of them when he went for a swim there in 2000 . Not the sharpest tool in the shed .

As you said, a relaxing day out... In a place like Mt Isa, around the water is where Id want to be!. Either that or tearing around in a Cruiser shooting pigs.

Any further help appreciated - Just wondering on what structure and depth it holds before anything else.

[Graham_N_Roberts]

Hi Tinaroo

"Either that or tearing around in a Cruiser shooting pigs."

>Hope you mean the hairy buggers with tusks.

Being a landie, I don't know the depths of the structure, but there is a point around, from the sailing ramp, with good rock structure and quite a bit of depth straight at the road edge. If you have a boat, there are rock outcrops from the shore in many areas, visible from the boat ramp. I would assume there would be submerged rocks somewhere in that lake.

The son in-law took me to a few other rocky outcrops, but I can not describe how to get there.

If you can still enter from the airport side from the highway (could do so two years ago), and you have someone who knows where they are going, you will be able to get into the upper reaches and some tree structure (depending on dam level).

Just watch your tracks, especially after dark, as there are roads and tracks all over the place. It's easier to find your way around Brizzy.

Cheers

[dej]

lived in Mt Isa for yrs , go see the guys at the Tackle Shops on Simpson street . they probably no where there biting , Moondarra is a big dam with plenty of Snags and thins right out in spots. Look at GOOGLE earth gives you a pretty good idea of the lay out. Mt isa is a top place .

[TinarooTriumph]

"Either that or tearing around in a Cruiser shooting pigs."

>Hope you mean the hairy buggers with tusks.

Yes mate, the hairy buggers with the tusks . A country cop is a good cop.

Cheers freshie, good stuff. Like the sounds of these Rocky Outcrops more then the timber... cheers.

Thanks Turtlehead - got a few aerial shots of the place on my computer.

[dej]

And there are plenty of pigs up that way , every second toyota has a crete on the back.

[TinarooTriumph]

And there are plenty of pigs up that way , every second toyota has a crete on the back.

Just like our's .